Overview
Antibiotics are a class of medications that physicians prescribe to combat infections caused by bacteria. Antibiotics are ineffective against viruses. Discovered in the first half of the twentieth century, antibiotics have saved the lives of countless people around the world; before their advent, bacterial infections were often deadly.
Detailed Description
Antibiotics play an important role in wound management. Chronic wounds are vulnerable to developing infection for a variety of reasons; they are open pathways for environmental contamination to the body. Also, patients suffering from wounds may suffer from other illnesses that compromise the ability of their immune system to resist infection. For instance, people with diabetic foot ulcers have a difficult time resisting infection if they do not have adequate blood flow to their feet. In addition, acute wounds caused by trauma, injury, or burns, are often heavily contaminated.
Dressing a wound is particularly important for helping to prevent wound contamination that leads to infection. Proper cleansing and covering of a wound and its surrounding skin helps to limit the amount of environmental contamination. A combination of antibiotics and proper wound treatment helps patients treat infection when it occurs.
Physicians administer antibiotics, topically, (in the form of a cream or ointment) orally, (through the mouth) or intravenously, (directly into the bloodstream through injection.) When you take a course of antibiotics, it is important to take them for the full number of doses, even if the symptoms of the infection subside. Physicians prescribe antibiotics for the number of days it takes the body to fight the harmful bacteria. Failure to complete a prescription of antibiotics leaves bacteria remaining in the body, which can restart the infection.
Last updated: 19-May-04
